Seasonal evolution of Titan's stratosphere during the Cassini mission.

ABSTRACT: Titan's stratosphere exhibits significant seasonal changes, including break-up and formation of polar vortices. Here we present the first analysis of mid-infrared mapping observations from Cassini's Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS) to cover the entire mission (Ls=293-93°, 2004-2017) - mid-northern winter to northern summer solstice. The north-polar winter vortex persisted well after equinox, starting break-up around Ls?60°, and fully dissipating by Ls?90°. Absence of enriched polar air spreading to lower latitudes suggests large-scale circulation changes and photochemistry control chemical evolution during vortex break-up. South-polar vortex formation commenced soon after equinox and by Ls?60° was more enriched in trace gases than the northern mid-winter vortex and had temperatures ?20 K colder. This suggests early-winter and mid-winter vortices are dominated by different processes - radiative cooling and subsidence-induced adiabatic heating respectively. By the end of the mission (Ls=93°) south-polar conditions were approaching those observed in the north at Ls=293°, implying seasonal symmetry in Titan's vortices.

SUBMITTER: Teanby NA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7580802 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature